We are going to try our best to document costs as we build below.
If you are interested in purchasing any of this gear, please check our Gear and Resources > Bus Life Gear or >Tools for the Build tab and purchase using our Amazon links.
Running total: $17,776 (updated 5/6/18)
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Buying the bus: $2,961
- $461 – travel to see the bus we first bought (to learn more about that financial faux pas, check out our video on How Not to Buy a Bus
- $2,272 – the bus we ended up with at auction
- $228 – auction fees
Bus maintenance: $1,375
- $400 Check up after purchasing
- $975 replacing 2 front steer tires
Titling/Registration: $21
- $21 temp tags
Tools: $283
- $40 angle grinder
- $20 crow bars
- $120 miter saw
- $18 flexible pull saw for trimming foam
- $20 paint brushes
- $20 Kreg pocket jig (for making pilot holes at an angle)
- + $15 when we broke and replaced the kreg jig drill bit
- $0 Table saw borrowed from awesome friends
- $0 Circular Saw- Borrowed from some other awesome friends
- $30 sander and sandpaper
Insulation: $863
- $627 Spray it Green Foam DIY kit
- $90 reflectix insulation
- $36 wall insulation above studs (Two 1.5″x 4ft x 8ft rigid foam boards)
- $50 sub floor insulation
- $45 Foam it green 12 touch up kit
- $15 a few cans of Great Stuff canned foam
Ceiling: $241
- $170 thin pine T & G planks (that’s 17 packs of six 8 ft planks)
- $25 wood varnish
- $40 self-drilling specialty metal screws
- $6 brown rustoleum spray paint for screws
Sub floor: $245
- $ 160 particle board for sub floor which we shortly after realized was a bad choice, so we replaced it with . . .
- $55 plywood (should have been $150 but we got an awesome discount!)
- $30 1×4 furring strips to frame out subfloor (this number includes screws, great stuff foam, and liquid nails)
Side bus walls: $93
- $60 T&G pine planks to cover walls
- $16 stud wood for walls (Five 2 x 4’s)
- $17 foam board insulation (1.5″)
Electrical/Solar: $3,551
- $1800 Goalzero 1400
- $450 Goalzero 400
- $212 Goal Zero 150
- $214 additional Solar Panels
- $575 Goalzero 200W Solar Panel brief case
- $300 Goalzero 100W Solar Panel brief case
Appliances: $2,958
- $960 Nature’s Head Composting Toilet
- $130 Chest freezer off of amazon warehouse deals (due to dents/scratches)
- $700 Dometic 50 QT Fridge (changed our minds and now will be selling the first fridge
- $56 temp controller to convert freezer into fridge (see a great post about how to do this here )
- $32 hand pump faucet (this will likely be a temporary solution for running water in the bus)
- $20 double sink from Habitat for Humanity
- $230 used Alcohol 2 burner Origo marine stove
- $ 450 The Grizzly wood burning mini stove Cubic Mini Stoves
- $400 all the fittings and pipes for the stove
Paint and such: $460
- $30 silicone caulk
- $150 roof paint (elastomeric heat reflecting paint)
- $150 roof seam sealing tape (3 rolls)
- $120 Spray paint
- $10 White Cabinet Enamel
Finishes: $220
- $220 solid elm wood piece for our desk
- $50 wood laptop stand and bathroom vanity top
Kitchen : $220
- $180 wood for cabinet (so far)
- $40 drawer slide hardware
Storage : $150
- $150 wood and hardware for storage boxes on shelving
Hearth for Wood burning stove: $55
- $30 Galvanized roofing steel and steel under stove
- $25 1″ spacers and screws
Leaflet folding mini bistro table : $30
- $30 for nice quality table wood
Wall covering : $30
- $20 for 12 cedar fence planks to cover to walls facing front
- $10 for wood stain
Water: $694
- $270 RinseKit Luxe
- $72 Water Pump
- $22 City Water Inlet
- $130 42 Gallon Fresh Tank by Class A Customs
- ~$200 Pex Plumbing and Push to Connect
Lighting: $176
- $160 GoalZero Light-a-Life Mini Quad x2 + 2 individual lights
- $16 Fairy String Lights Remote Controlled
Hired Help: $3,000
- $1,900 Locking steel front door materials and labor
- $1,100 Roof Deck Railing Materials & Install
Upholstery: $150
- $ 80 Couch cushion foam
- $ 70 Pleather to cover couch cushions
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